VIGGY SAYS IT’S
RALEIGH, N.C. — Alain Vigneault was incredulous after Carolina’s tying, thirdperiod goal was allowed to stand. It was the first of two Hurricanes power-play goals in the third that handed the Rangers a 4-3 loss on Thursday night after Antti Raanta seemed to be interfered with by Elias Lindholm, but the Rangers’ challenge for goalie interference was unsuccessful.
“In all the times that I’ve asked for challenges since we’ve been allowed to do this, this one I’m 100 percent sure I’m right,” a clearly displeased Vigneault said.
“When we made the call, initially the referee that hadn’t made the initial call came to us and said ‘The reason he’s saying it’s a good goal is because Antti was out of the blue,’ which I’m looking at and his two feet are in the blue paint, and there’s contact that lifts his mask, and obviously he can’t see the shot. And then they told us that Antti’s feet were in the blue, but his head was outside the blue paint, so it was involuntary contact because Antti’s face was out of the blue.
“In my opinion it was the wrong call, and at the end of the day we didn’t play well enough in the third period. We got outplayed, they came back and scored two power-play goals.”
Asked if the goaltender’s feet being in the blue paint should equate to him being considered in the crease, Vigneault said:
“You know what? You ask the league that. But they’re gonna spin it anyway so that they look all right, and that’s the way it always is.”
Sebastian Aho tied the game with that controversial goal on a power play, and Aho netted another power-play goal 3:24 later after all three of the Rangers’ goals came on power plays, breaking out of their huge slump on the man-advantage.
Lindholm made contact with Raanta’s mask, and the Ranger goalie said it was difficult to see Aho’s shot.
“If I can’t be on top of my crease, should I be on my goal line, or what should I do?” wondered Raanta, who started because Henrik Lundqvist is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Rick Nash also missed the game with an upper-body injury.
After being 0-for-26, 1-for-40 and 3-for-59 on the power play entering Thursday, the Rangers got one from Chris Kreider on a 5-on-3 not long after Kevin Hayes had his forehead cut open on a high-stick, and Mika Zibanejad potted two in the second to put the Rangers (43-23-2) up 3-2.
But an awful third period in which the Hurricanes had 18 shots sent the Rangers home with a tough loss. Carolina had 12 total shots through two periods.
“We sat back and they took it to us,” said Derek Stepan, whose goal-less drought extended to 23 games despite 10 shots on goal.
“I don’t have the answer right now. I’m searching. It’s beating me up, that’s for sure. I’m trying as hard as I can.”